Czech Underground

After a night in Dresden we moved on to Prague for a couple of nights. We were staying in a very modern hotel in the business district and so to get into the city centre we took the metro.  At first this was looking like it might be a problem since I didn't have change for the ticket machine and there was no ticket office. When I found a tabac where I could get tickets the vendor was not terribly helpful or friendly but we eventually got tickets and made it into the city.

As you can see we got off the train at Malostranska and were immediately impressed by the underground architecture and attention to detail. It was a bust station but I waited until the platform and then the escalators cleared so that I could get a couple of shots. The light was quite poor so I have had to use a very high ISO since these were handheld and I didn't want to risk a slow shutter speed. In spite of the grainy quality I really like these pictures and I hope that you will like them too.

Underground

Today I have been underground as I visited the Syngun Copper Mine near Beddgelert in North Wales. It stopped operating as a mine over 200 years ago. The conditions underground must have been dreadful as the workers used hand tools and only had candles to light their way. We use copper for so many things and take it for granted but seeing these conditions made me reflect on how so much of what we have comes at the expoense of other people.

The pictures today show one of the excavated chambers where Stalagmites and Stalactites have formed, and are still "growing" creating these beautiful formations and reflections in the underground pool.

Also while I was walking through the passageways deep inside the mountainside I thought of the song Underground by Harry James Angus which conjures up some interesting imagery of a mysterious and magical underground world it is well worth a listen

Light At The End

I have chosen two shots of the Chirk tunnel on the Llangollen canal because although they are very similar they are taken from different points along the tunnel and I can't decide which one I prefer. 

I really like the first one because of the longer perspective, the light glinting on the brickwork along the length of the tunnel and the irregular line of the handrail. I also like the ripples from the water dripping from the roof. And then because of the length there is a feeling of being in a tube which I like.

I like the second one because there is more detail in the reflections and the shiny colours.

Now, having "analysed" them I have made up my mind which one I like best...

Underground Walkway

It's getting late and I almost missed the opportunity to post something today but I am committed to this so I'm getting this one in at the last moment.

I have spent far too much time on a train today traveling down to London where I shall be for the next week. I thought that I would post something rail related and this picture shows the walkway from the Water Street entrance to the James Street underground station in Liverpool. It's an impressive tunnel with a lot of history and I think it makes a decent image too.